Box set and binge viewing megathread.

[ChrisIB 11]

The Witcher S2
Henry Cavill's wry dispatcher of monsters returns but this season is a step down from the first.

[alchresearch 214]

The Tourist - BBC iplayer

 

Trying too hard to copy the Coen Brothers (notably Fargo & No Country For Old Men) but doesn't know if it wants to be a comedy or serious.

 

A disappointing series with lots of frustrating plot holes. E.g: If someone is trying to kill you and has already taken a dozen shots at you, you don't try shooting him once then leaving it after you missed.  Or letting him fall into a well and not putting a bullet into him to make sure he's dead.

 

[Bargepole23 337]

19 hours ago, alchresearch said:

The Tourist - BBC iplayer

 

Trying too hard to copy the Coen Brothers (notably Fargo & No Country For Old Men) but doesn't know if it wants to be a comedy or serious.

 

A disappointing series with lots of frustrating plot holes. E.g: If someone is trying to kill you and has already taken a dozen shots at you, you don't try shooting him once then leaving it after you missed.  Or letting him fall into a well and not putting a bullet into him to make sure he's dead.

 

Wow. Remind me not to get in your bad books Alch 🙂 

 

I quite enjoyed The Tourist for what it was without too much analysis.

[Rockers rule 673]

The girl before BBC1  (HTSBO's choice).

 

Not sure what needs analysing more the TV series or me after watching the thing ! 

 

The blurb says young women falls in love with a minimalistic house and its architect.

No party's, hanging of pictures on the wall, no personal ornaments etc etc etc are allowed in the rental agreement.

Apart from being highly computerised, the interior (bare concrete walls) looks like your in a lower ground floor (un-finished) multistory carpark. Keeping in the same theme , the exterior looks like the fencing you'd put around a unfinished multistory carpark  .

The 'Girl before' in the title refers to exactly that. And that's where the plot descends into trying to figure out which one of them your following. Lost? good ! your not the only one.

 

Definitely one to avoid.

 

I couldn't do minimalistic, where would I keep everything ? .

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Funky_Gibbon 42]

On 11/01/2022 at 18:27, Funky_Gibbon said:

The Chestnut Man

 

Danish TV crime show (via Netflix) ala The Killing

 

Just found out why this one was so similar to The Killing. It's literally written by the same guy who wrote the screenplay... that explains a lot.

[Funky_Gibbon 42]

Arcane season 1 (Netflix)

 

Apparently based on the multiplayer online battle arena (MOBA) game called League of Legends (with a huge dollop of the Dishonoured games style-wise IMO), this 9-part animated steampunk action adventure might possibly be the best (and loosest) game tie-in I've ever seen. The basic premise is that there's a city, split into the above ground utopian city going through a renaissance of technological wonders and science and the undercity, a crumbling, polluted hellhole that is home to the unwanted and dominated by criminal gangs and full of simmering anger at being oppressed and neglected by the rule of city above. The series follows two sisters from the undercity and the paths their lives take as a result of them breaking into an apartment in the city above and stealing whatever they could find.

 

Stylish and beautifully animated with a good storyline that is quite dark and gritty in places. Doesn't require any knowledge of the game it's supposedly based on. I wasn't sure I was going to enjoy this but saw enough recommendations about it to give it a good and glad I did.

[ChrisIB 11]

A Discovery of Witches S3
Deborah Harkness's story of the forbidden affair between a vampire and a witch returns to contemporary intrigue after a weak second season. 

[S35_2o21 32]

On 09/01/2022 at 14:48, Rockers rule said:

Screw.  all 4.

(6 parts)

 

Total nonsense,

Our version of cell block H but with solid walls .

Poorly thought-out poorly written unbelievable prison drama.

Characters blunder from one situation to another.

Worse of all - its left open for a second series.

 

 

Who's on the night shift ❓

Despite all of this, I am quite enjoying it! 

Umbrella Academy, S2, Netflix

 

We watched 'Misfits' on All4 last year, and this has a similar feel but with a much much bigger budget. It's an enjoyable change from the tonnes of serious drama that is on at the moment. 

[Rockers rule 673]

Hidden Assets BBC4. 

6 part crime drama set in Ireland and Antwerp.

Fully enjoyed this, well worth watching, diamonds, money laundering, twist and turns throughout to keep you interested. 

 

The responder BBC1 & iplayer. 5 parts.

 

Martin Freeman plays Chris Carson a dysfunctional Liverpudlian police bobby.

Totally unbelievable violent nonsense from beginning to end  & yet fully watchable 🙃. 

 

Beforeigners  series 2 (watched series 1 sometime ago )

 

Clever play on words from Norway.

Cavemen,  Vikings, Victorians and everybody in-between start appearing from the past in Bjorvika Bay, Oslo.

The Beforeigners, bringing their cultures, problems and morality with them, but Its daft enough to be enjoyable (well we think so).

Series 2's only fault is, its taken the easy route of introducing our Jack the Ripper as a returnee for the series  . 

Having to wait for the final episode to appear to complete the binge at the moment, but if you can find it, its well worth watching .

 

Keep safe and binge responsibly .

 

 

[Guest]

Watched the first two episodes of Reacher, and will likely watch the rest over the weekend.  Great fun.  Does exactly what it says on the tin, and does it well.  Remarkably faithful to the book, too, so far.  And blimey, that's one big bloke.

[Rockers rule 673]

Silly season.

Joint decision, we'd watch some old TV series's.

Deary, deary, me, did we really watch such things  .

'The Wackers' - was it exported to this side of the country - never heard of it  (probably out on't bike).

There is a very young and slinky Alison Steadman and some young lad called  Keith Chegwin.

 

If the above wasn't bad enough  we watched a few -.

 

'Curry and chips',  more nonsense from the pen of Johnny Speight and Spike Milligan.

Cringeworthy from the very start.

There must be a few actors (those still alive) out there wondering why they ever got involved in such  shi*e.

 

'The Gaffer', - follow on to 'Oh no it's Selwyn Froggitt'.

We still use the 'What you doing down there'?  -  'Getting up Grandad' line when the grandkids have had a tumble  🤣 🤣.

We've enjoyed watching 'the Gaffer', most of its innocent enough fun, some of the lines appear to be fluffed and the impression is there is a lot of improvisation going on, but the humour is quite subtle to the point you have to ignore the enjoyable nonsense taking place to fully appreciate it  🤣 🤣.

 

'Brass'  - Timothy West at his very best - fully enjoyed the mostly enjoyable parody of 1930's them and us.  

 

Enjoy  .

 

 

 

[ChrisIB 11]

The Book of Boba Fett
Episodes 1-4 were so so, but 5 and 6 were essentially episodes of The Mandalorian, with it's The Good, the Bad and the Ugly vibe. About half of 6 also featured a young Luke, impressive SFX.

 

Edited February 5, 2022 by ChrisIB